Five reasons not to book your holiday to Italy in August

Some friends have told me they are finally coming to Italy next year and I’m over the moon to get to see them! They are coming in August, a time of year I’d really encourage people to avoid. I don’t understand why travel agents encourage people to book holidays to Italy in August or why tourists insist in coming in that month!

Ok I get it’s the middle of the summer and you’re not going to be stuck inside fleeing the rain. But hey, Italy is here all year round and visiting at different times of the year will give you new perspectives on this beautiful multifaceted country.

So please don’t come here in August because:

1) It’s going to be bloody hot, humid and tiring.

Summer here isn’t pleasant, Italian’s hate air conditioning so you will be perspiring the whole time as it’s as humid as South America and for some reason or another the refrigeration isn’t as powerful as in other countries so it will even be difficult to get a cold drink. Most Italian’s in summer find a cool piece of beach to hide in and don’t come out until September.

2) Since all the Italian’s are at the beach

So you won’t be able to find a place to yourself, which means all the big cities will be packed with tourists, exorbitant prices and tourist traps. So be prepared to be overcharged and ripped off.

3) Italians go on holidays in August

That means you won’t find much authentic Italian life going on. The cities will be shadows of their usual selves.

4) It will to be uncomfortable to move around the country.

The autostrada will be jammed if you travel by bus/car, the trains will be like sardine cans without air to breathe and if you want to go to the islands the sun will roast your pasty colored buttocks on the waves back and forth to your destination. (Sorry, that was a bit of a pornographic image there!!)

5) And finally Italy has so much more to offer than the summer time!

The beaches are stunning and practically deserted in September. The weather is perfectly fine in October when everything is back to normal. You can always put on a jumper or visit a museum in November, the colours of Autumn/Fall are beautiful and your increased appetite will be satisfied by the rich winter foods. The traditions of Christmas in Italy are astounding. Imagine having museums and restaurants all to yourselves. How about a Venetian Carnival covered in sumptuous costumes and snow in February. Don’t be afraid of the cold, search out Italy at it’s best throughout the year!

As for my visiting friends, I’m happy to report their visit will run over to September. Phew!

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13 thoughts on “Five reasons not to book your holiday to Italy in August”

You are absolutely right and I do my best to discourage people from coming. Sadly, we tend to meet people already here in August and its then too late to warn them! Here in Tuscany the towns and villages are 80% deserted!

Much the same could be said for Spain – August is the worst possible month! Unless you’re visiting the north of the country. Central Spain is totally intolerable in August, and I don’t think I’d even want to be roasting on one of the beaches in the South of the country at that time of year.

On that note, I’ve just been reading a blog entry by a fresh-off-the-boat Australian expat who’s just arrived in Italy and discovered that we had – shock horror! – mosquitoes. I can’t wait for what else she’s going to discover… this is going to be good 😉

I don’t think she’s ‘worried’ about them as such… it’s more that she just didn’t think they existed in Europe.
And yes, the irony, considering all those creepy crawlies the Aussies have that could just kill you off 😉

Yes, I think there should be some kind of campaign against doing Italy in August, I had friends to visit this past August and they sweltered!
I’d say September is great in Sicily as the beaches are deserted and even now it’s still pretty good apart from the odd bit of rainfall. May can still be a bit cold here in Sicily.
I’d be up to visit Florence any time of the year, if it rains you can so easily stay indoors at the endless museums, I’d happily while away the hours in the Pitti or Uffizi! Needless to say Florence is my fav Italian city!

I totally agree with you, even though most of my trips to Italy were during the hot summer months. But that was for reason of school! Either I was in school or my children were in school, so summertime was the only time to take a lengthy vacation. But, I’m happy to say that lately my trips have avoided summer, and as you said, the experiences have been magnificent! That is why I have decided to organize my “Italy…Wine, dine and unwind” tour for September next year! The crowds will have died down, while the weather is still perfect! I can’t wait to show my group the beauty of the real Italy without all the tourists!

Brilliant! I think my new goal is to persuade more people to visit at other time of the year!
Perhaps arrange groups to visit for winter or spring even fall is beautiful, anything but summer. It’s so much more authentic to visit at other times!